The basic idea of this tour is to spend relaxing and enjoyable day in Izu, by experiencing what you can do only here for a limited time! Enjoy the day trip to Japanese tea field in a beautiful town of Nirayama, overlooking two World heritage sites; "Mt.Fuji" and "the Nirayama Reverberator", and let's have delicious Japanese lunch together!
Izu Nagaoka station (closest station)
Japanese tea-picking in Izu, Shizuoka (closest tea field from Tokyo)
Great view of two World Heritage sites
Experience Japanese culture: wearing tea-picking Kimono and interacting with friendly locals at the tea field
Visiting tea processing factory
Delicious Japanese lunch loved by locals; Soba with Tempura, Sushi or others upon your request
Recommended for everyone (couple, groups, elderly people and family with small children)
Option: cycling around the town, experience hot spring and other activities (upon your request)
Visiting a restful gallery during an exhibition (please see the picture)
Izu Nagaoka station (closest station)
After staying in places like Tokyo, Osaka and other busy cities, you might feel you need a bit of break, looking for relaxing places to feel nature and tranquility.
Well, this is the ideal place! It is only 1.5 hour away from Tokyo, but the atmosphere is totally different and you can experience Japanese culture and have some delicious food in nature. And most importantly, it's still unknown by tourists from overseas!
Located on the Izu Peninsula, Nirayama is a relaxing historical town with a world heritage " Nirayama reverberatory furnace", located very close to a famous hot-spring town of Izu nagaoka city.Also, this place is famous for its farms growing Japanese green tea. With a magnificent and breathtaking view of Mt.Fuji (depending on the weather), you can enjoy strolling in a lush green tea field (here's the really good part!) wearing easy-to-wear Kimono. The staff will help you get dressed and making it great fun before you even get going!
Then, it's off to the tea field! You'll see a huge green field stretched out in front of you and the staffs assist you in getting to know how to pick the right tea leaves and then explain how they're grown and also how to make tea out of leaves. (I will of course translate all this).
After picking, you'll go back to the changing-room to change your Kimono and then you'll be invited to 'quench your thirst' with fresh green tea. And you can take the tea leaves you picked with you.
Afterwards, we are off to relax at a local restaurant near the tea field. The restaurant has very friendly atmosphere, loved by the locals for their Soba, tempura and many kinds of "donburi"
-a bowl of rice topped with Tempura and sashimi.
All the dishes are freshly made by the owner everyday. Their tempura and sushi are also delicious and you can enjoy them at a reasonable price. This place is loved by local people.
This is a seasonal 4-hour tour which is held only 2 times a year: in Spring (April 29th to June 31st) and in Autumn (September 15th to October 15th).
However, upon your request and as far as time allows, I am very flexible to "what you would like to do and eat", so please feel free to ask me if you have any requests. We can do more things or I can organize other private tours such as experience hot-spring in Izunagaoka, cycling around the town, or Numazu sightseeing and/or others.(optional)
Please do not miss the chance to enjoy "one-day Izu experience".
guide fee
The transportation fee ( eg: starting at Izubnagaoka station ¥1000)
1) Transportation fee from Tokyo (or Shinagawa) to Mishima by Shinkansen Kodama (about 50 mins, 4,000JPY) then change to Izu Hakone line from Mishima to Izunagaoka station (21mins, 320JPY) - one way
*from Tokyo to Mishima, you can use JR pass.
2) Taxi (approximately 2,500-3,000JPY) for 4 people including a guide for the basic tour but if you would like to visit more places, it would cost more.
3) Tea-picking (in Spring: 1600JPY, mid summer:1600JPY Autumn: 1600JPY)
4) Lunch (depending on your request but between 800 - 3,000JPY)
Optional:
1) rental bicycle: 500JPY per day for you and a guide (including insurance)
2) hot spring (there are many hot springs here in Izunagaoka. The price differs depending on ryokan and their services. I will recommend most suitable hot spring for you. (*Please note that you may need more than 4 hours if you would like to go to hot spring).
-Tea-picking can be done even if it rains. (i.e., in the greenhouse or under a tent) but it will be cancelled due to heavy rain or inclement weather.
In that case, the guide shall arrange alternatives such as hot spring and/or visiting the temple "Ganjyojyuin" to see one of the masterpieces and the national treasure Buddha by UNKEI.
-You may not be able to get the view of Mt.Fuji from the tea field if the weather is not clear (but in general, we can see the magnificent view of Mt.Fuji!)
-We shall not be responsible for any accident, injury, sickness and loss of your belongings during this tour.
-Please inform the guide in advance if you have any religious or health restrictions, need special care or if you are travelling with small children.
-Tea picking is held 4 times a day: 10:00am,11:00am,1:00pm and 2:00pm) and I need you to come to Izunagaoka station 30 minutes before the starting time (e.g., For the 10:00am tea picking session, time we meet at Izunagaoka station is 9:30am.)
-For the 13:00 and 14:00 tea picking session, we shall have lunch before heading to the tea field.
-We mainly use taxi on this tour but if you prefer to walk to the tea-picking field, we can walk (approximately 35 minutes) or we can rent a bicycle at Izunagaoka station. Rental bicycle costs 500 per day but if you get too tired to ride a bicycle after the tea-picking, you can leave your bicycle at the rental bike station near the tea field and we can take a taxi back to the station.
Advance reservation required for the rental bicycle, so please inform me if you would like to use a bicycle.(we are not be able to use a bicycle when they are all reserved.)
-Please note that we (rental bicycle company and I) are not responsible for any accident and injury occurred during the tour.
You are insured in case of an accident and injury during the use of the rental bicycle; however, you might not be fully covered by that insurance depending on the level of your accident and injury.
-Your booking will be confirmed after making sure that the tea picking session is available on the day and time you requested.
-The tour is flexible. We can discuss and make the best suitable tour for your day!
Yes, it is easy. There is a sign to follow to Izu Hakone line.
At Izunagaoka station, you'll need to buy ticket to Izunagaoka station (320JPY).
Izunagaoka station is 8 stops away from Mishima station and it takes about 23 minutes.
I'd appreciate it if you arrive at Izunagaoka station at least 30 minutes before the starting time of the tea-picking session.
There are coin-lockers at the station. If your luggages are too big to fit in, we can ask the station to keep them during the tour. Station staffs are very kind.
Children under 3 years old cannot do the tea-picking but it is totally ok to be at the tea-field.
This tour is made for people at all age. To get to the tea-field, we walk up to a gentle short slope but the other walking areas are very easy to walk.
If you're using wheel chair or require special attention, please inform me in advance so that I can prepare accordingly.
It is "easy-to-wear Kimono" and friendly staffs will help you get dressed and I'm sure that it will be a good experience for you .
For men, there is a short Kimono called "Happi", and for children, there are small Kimono. (for children aged 3 and over).
We'll have lunch first, and then enjoy the tea-picking.
If you'd like to do the tea-picking in the afternoon, you'll need to arrive at Izunagaoka station at least 1.5 hours before the starting time of the tea-picking.
In my experience, I'd recommend you to do the tea-picking in the morning as many of my guests who did the tea-picking first seem more relaxed and enjoyed lunch with beer or sake before getting on the train.
But it is totally up to you, and you can choose the starting time according to your schedule.
Yes, I'd be happy to arrange for you.
Izu nagaoka is one of the oldest and popular hot spring areas in Izu and there are many nice Ryokan that offer hot springs.
Though, please note that if you would like to go and experience hot spring after the tea-picking and lunch, the tour would exceed 4 hours, and I need you to pay for extra hours (4,000JPY per hour).
It depends on the condition of the Japanese green tea and I need to ask the tea farm first to check if we can do the tea-picking. So please let me know if you are coming during out-of-season.
Our visit with Hiroko to the wasabi fields in Izu was an amazing experience from the moment we met her at the station. She was very welcoming and provided a warm, happy tour for our family. Everything was very well organized and she took special care to spend extra time seeing things that we were interested in. We would highly recommend her if you are looking for a special experience in Japan.
Dear Mr. Kyle and Mr. Kyle’s parents, Thank you so much for your warm comments. I am so glad to know that you and your parents enjoyed the tour surrounded by peaceful and beautiful nature of Izu with no tourists. And I appreciate your friendliness and kindness. I hope that you and your parents stay fine and happy. Please give my regards to your parents. Thank you very much again. I am lo forward to meeting you all again in the future. Best regards, Hiroko
My mother and I travelled to Shizuoka and enjoyed a wonderful day with Hiroko. Absolutely recommend her as a guide if you are in the Fuji area.
Dear Mr. Gordon, Thank you very much for your warm comment on the tour. I am so glad that you and your mother enjoy the tour and saw magnificent view of Mt. Fuji. It was a wonderful day for me throughout the tour, too but we really had great walk in Miho Pine grove. I hope that you and your mother will stay well and happy. Thank you again for everything and I hope to see you again in the future. Best regards, Hiroko
Hiroko was an awesome guide. We were travelling with a 4 month old and we forgot his formula. She brought us to a drugstore so we can get formula so we can continue our trip. It was a bit challenging travelling with a 4 month old but she made it easy for us. She did a customized tour for us, first to a wasabi farm where she gave us information on how wasabi is grown, then after that we went to a short hike to view a waterfalls. After that she brought us to a tea farm. Where we picked tea leaves and tasted green tea. We enjoyed our tour wih Hiroko. It was a perfect day for us.
Dear Mrs. Camille, Thank you very much for your warm comments. I am so glad that you, your husband and Charles enjoyed the tour and made a great memories of Izu.It was a lovely tour for me, too. Your baby ,Charles, is so quite and very good boy. You all are still vacation in Philippines so please enjoy there and I am looking forward to hearing about your wasabi growing in January. Thank you again. I hope to see you in the future. Best regards, Hiroko
Our family of 5 (kids ages 21, 19, and 15) had one of the best days of our vacation in Japan with Hiroko. She met us at the cruise ship port in Shimizu and took us on a remarkable tour of beautiful Izu town with its gorgeous temple and bamboo forest, did a short hike at the breathtaking Jodaskaki coast, viewed a picturesque secluded wasabi farm and dipped our feet into the lovely waters of Banjo Falls. We stopped for a delicious sushi lunch and even tried wasabi ice cream and a local specialty, Shirasu fish (baby fish boiled and eaten on rice - surprisingly tasty!) Hiroko was highly professional and provided such valuable information as we toured. She is a lovely warm person who put her heart into making sure that we had an awesome time. Thank you Hiroko!
Dear Julie and the Fisher family, Greeting from Japan. Thank you very much for your warm comments on the tour. I am so happy that you and the family have enjoyed Izu and made great experiences. It was the long distance from Shimizu but I am sure that your family is only people from crushing shipments at Shimizu who have visited Izu. Thanks to you all, the tour went great and I enjoyed the day with great appreciation. Your family is very warm and thoughtful. I hope that you all stay fine and happy. Good memories stay forever. Best regards, Hiroko